Albert Camus, a renowned French-Algerian philosopher, writer, and recipient of a Nobel Prize in Literature, in his essay The Myth of Sisyphus (1955) argues that “it is not possible to rationalize an irrational universe” (3). Camus develops this argument based on his observation of humans and the absurdity of human existence. In stating that humans cannot rationalize the irrational, Camus' purpose was to highlight the constraints of humans when confronted with the absurdity of existence and to encourage people to strive to better understand the absurdity of their existence. In assessing the social epidemic of gun violence in American schools, Albert Camus would argue that it is the result of irrational actions by individuals and that humans cannot control other people's actions as everyone seeks to understand his life’s purpose (Kershaw 1).

       Camus begins by reflecting on the inherent struggle and absurdity that characterizes human existence. In his essay The Myth of Sisyphus, he narrates the travails of Sisyphus, a fictional figure in Greek mythology, who was condemned by the gods to an eternity of rolling a rock uphill, only for the rock to roll back downhill once he gets to the top (3). Camus compares this to the experience of humans trying to make sense of life and often not finding it, thus highlighting the absurdity of human existence. Regarding gun violence in American schools, Camus would argue that this epidemic is a consequence of the absurdity of life (The Myth of Sisyphus 3). Further, he would argue that people who try to find a solution to the epidemic no matter how hopeless it may seem are taking up the role of Sisyphus in The Myth of Sisyphus. During his life, Camus witnessed a great deal of violence and always remained opposed to violence (Resistance, Rebellion, and Death, 8). During World War II, despite partaking in the French resistance, Camus remained firmly opposed to violence and taking the life of others (8). He questioned whether violence against the German occupiers in France was justified. In his book Resistance, Rebellion and Death, he wrote about the “loathing we the French had for all war” and about needing to “find out if we had the right to kill men” (8). Camus harbored these views despite being a French man, whose country was unjustly invaded by the Germans. Given his disdain for violence, Camus would have been very sad and disappointed by the social epidemic of gun violence in American schools. He would have been particularly disappointed to see this happening in a civilized country that is not at war. He would attribute this social epidemic to the absurdity of life and would conclude that trying to rationalize this would be futile (Kershaw 1).  

       After establishing the absurdity of the human condition and human existence, Camus would refer to the rebellion of humans as a response to the absurdity of life. Camus would argue that individuals who commit acts of gun violence in American schools may be doing so in rebellion against the absurdity of their life. In his essay The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt, Camus talks about revolution and rebellion. He states that humans would often revolt in response to the absurdity of their lives, and he advocates for a rebellion that is free of violence (4). Camus states that “Awareness of the absurd, when we first claim to deduce a rule of behavior from it, makes murder seem a matter of indifference, to say the least, and hence possible. There is no pro or con: the murderer is neither right nor wrong” (The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt 5). Based on this, Camus would suggest that awareness of the absurdity of human existence may lead individuals to commit acts of gun violence in American schools. He would also suggest that individuals who commit acts of gun violence in American schools are neither right nor wrong but are rather only rebelling and revolting against the absurdity of their own lives and existence. In his essay, The Rebel, Camus described mass murders that occurred in the twentieth century as “The age of negation,” going on to say that “we must examine our position in relation to murder” (4). Thus, it is evident that Camus would condemn the epidemic of gun violence in American schools as he condemned the mass murders that occurred in the twentieth century. He would suggest that the epidemic of gun violence in American schools is a consequence of the absurdity of human existence and that humans cannot control other people's actions as everyone seeks to understand his life’s purpose (Kershaw 1).

       Concluding the argument, Camus would re-affirm that people who commit acts of gun violence in American schools do so as they revolt against the absurdity of their existence. Camus believed that people are responsible for the decisions that they make. In his essay The Myth of Sisyphus he said “There is a moral to it. It teaches that a man defines himself by his make-believe as well as by his sincere impulses” (4). Thus, if an individual wanted to buy an enormous number of guns, they would do so regardless of if it was the rational thing to do or not (Kershaw 1).

        He would argue that the abundance of guns in the United States is a result of the absurdity of human existence and that gun violence in American schools is a consequence of this. He would opine that attempts to understand this and seek rational explanations for the gun violence in American schools would be attempting to rationalize the irrational (The Myth of Sisyphus 3). 

In assessing the social epidemic of gun violence in American schools, Albert Camus, as an existentialist, would argue that it is the result of irrational actions by individuals and that it is impossible to “rationalize an irrational universe” (Kershaw 1). Camus would argue that humans cannot control the actions of other people as everyone is seeking to understand his life’s purpose. Thus, regardless of how hard humanity tries to rationalize or understand why people carry out these random acts of gun violence in American schools, humanity will never be able to understand the rationale behind it and will not be able to prevent it. Rather, humanity will just have to find a way to make sense of it all. 

 

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